Gaels group petitions to have Royal Gaelic College remove royal from name

In December, the Gaelic College in St. Anns received a designation by Queen Elizabeth II allowing it to use "royal" as a prefix, changing the name of the institution to the Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College. The move sparked considerable controversy among Cape Breton Gaelic speakers, who have circulated a petition asking that the word "royal" be removed from the college's name.

In December, the college received a designation by Queen Elizabeth II allowing it to use "royal" as a prefix, changing the name of the institution to the Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College.

The move sparked controversy among people who cited examples from history of efforts to eliminate the Gaelic language.

“I believe the designation was sought with good intention but I think it was misguided, inappropriate and the Gaelic community here in Cape Breton would be better served celebrating our own, rather than seeking endorsements from the British crown,” said Kenneth MacKenzie, a Gaelic speaker from Mabou, in a press release sent from a group said to be made up of Scottish Gaelic speakers and learners.

The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, petition the Board of Governors of Colaisde na Gàidhlig to allow the Gaelic community to foster, celebrate, and continue its cultural revitalization process by removing the 'Royal' prefix, as bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II, and all its colonial associations."

More than 340 people had signed the petition as of Tuesday afternoon. People also have the opportunity to express their feelings in comments on the document.

“My understanding is that the British government went to great lengths to try to eradicate the Gaelic language and culture. Therefore, it seems inappropriate to me to have the symbolic stamp of approval of the British crown affixed to an institution which is seeking to reverse this,” wrote Timothy Thrale, after signing the petition.

The change may well have consequences for the institution, some suggest.

“As a student of the Gaelic language, I will think twice about choosing Colaisde na Gàidhlig as a learning destination in the future if the name change persists, as the leadership seems so clearly out of step with the local Gaelic community,” said Jennifer Gardner.

The petition will be presented to the board of governors of the Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College during an upcoming meeting of the Gaelic College Foundation.

Since the name change in December, the matter has found its way to the floor of the house of assembly where Allan MacMaster spoke about it.

It's also been the subject of numerous letters to the editor in the Cape Breton Post.

The chair of the Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College board of governors, Alex Morrison, would later resign following criticism of the name change.

In December, the Gaelic College in St. Anns received a designation by Queen Elizabeth II allowing it to use "royal" as a prefix, changing the name of the institution to the Royal Cape Breton Gaelic College. The move sparked considerable controversy among Cape Breton Gaelic speakers, who have circulated a petition asking that the word "royal" be removed from the college's name.